The Sleepover
by hoffkk
Summary: Josh makes a surprise visit and decides to stay the night, crashing a sleepover between Riley and Maya. With the parents away and another surprise visitor joining in on the fun, a friendly game night becomes much more intense. Sparks fly, emotions run high, and suddenly all bets are off...
1. A Surprise Visitor

It was a quiet night. Auggie was sitting at the end of the coffee table drawing pictures with his new set of colored pencils, while Riley was hanging upside down on the couch playing Ninja Fruit on her phone. With her back against the seat cushion, feet tangling over the back of the couch, and hair hanging down and splayed all over the floor, Riley was slicing her way to a new high score when they heard a quick knock at the door, followed by the sound of it being thrown open only to find one of their favorite relatives standing in the threshold.

"Muh family!" Josh called out.

"Josh!" Auggie exclaimed as he ran across the room to hug his uncle.

"Hey!" Riley called, before flipping her legs over her head and landing on her knees in front of the small, round coffee table, which Auggie had been sitting at with a loud _Oomph_! Wiping the hair out of her face, she sprang on to the balls of her feet, extended her arms out like she was ready to karate chop someone, and yelled, "I'm a ninja!"

Josh just stood there with his arm around Auggie and an amused look on his face as he replied, "I can see that."

"Yeah...you should stick to fruit." Auggie added dryly, referring to her recent obsession with the app, she had been playing.

Riley straightened herself, pushing some hair behind her ear as she rolled her eyes at her brother. Then, with a smile on her face, she spoke.

"It's good to see you, Uncle Josh."

"You too." He said, chuckling softly.

"So, what brings you here?" Riley asked.

"I had to take care of some things at NYU, so I figured I would just come surprise you guys and stay the night."

"You're sleeping over?!" Auggie asked excitedly.

"Yep." Josh answered, holding up the black duffle bag he had been clutching in his other hand, that wasn't around his nephew's shoulders, as proof.

"Yes!" Auggie shouted, making a "cha-ching" gesture with both of his little arms.

"Aw, you're here _and_ staying the night? Yay!" Riley said, clapping cheerfully. Then suddenly, something clicked in Riley's head, causing her eyes to widen. "Wait... you're here _and_ staying the night? Oh, no..." She trailed off, worry evident on her face.

"Um... are you happy about it or not? I'm a little confused." Josh responded, his brow still furrowed from his niece's words.

"Of course, I am." Riley assured. "I just... I'll be right back." She finished quickly with a tentative smile, then grabbed her phone from the couch and scurried down the hall to her bedroom.

"Did that make sense to you?" Josh questioned, turning to Auggie.

"Nope," Auggie stated. "But she never makes sense to me." He finished with a shrug of his shoulders, then went back over to where he had left his art supplies and proceeded to show Josh all of the drawings he had done.

Josh praised his nephew's talent all the while wondering what the heck was going on with his niece.

Riley was pacing across the open space in her room between her bed and the bay window as she dialed Maya's number for the third time.

"Come on! Pick up!" Riley pleaded into the phone, hoping to get a hold of her friend before it was too late. Maya was due to arrive any time now for their own sleepover, but now that Josh was here to stay the night, Riley wasn't so sure Maya coming over was the best idea, especially since the last time they had seen each other was the morning after that college party she and Maya had crashed to "save" Josh. The two of them had ended things on seemingly good terms, but that didn't mean that having them both over wouldn't be awkward for everyone involved. Suddenly the ringing stopped and Maya's voice flowed through the phone.

"Hey, Riles, what's up?" She greeted.

"Maya, hey..." Riley trailed off, not knowing exactly what to say. She knew that honesty was the best policy, but she didn't want to hurt Maya with the truth. She was weighing her options in silence when Maya spoke up again.

"Riley? You still there?"

"Yeah, I'm here. It's just- I don't think tonight is gonna work out for our sleepover." Riley told her.

"Why not?" Maya said, utterly confused. They had been planning this night all week and had so been looking forward to it.

"Because...I'm feeling a little under the weather." Riley lied. She hated lying, but she hated how emotional Maya could get over Josh even more, not that it was her fault exactly. You can't help the way you feel, right? "Yeah, uh, my stomach feels queasy... I'm lying in bed as we speak." She added to her lie.

"Oh really?" Maya replied, sounding unconvinced. "Cause you look fine to me... cute top by the way."

"Oh, thanks!" Riley beamed, coming to a halt, facing her bed, and smoothing out her top, a tie-dye tank with fringe at the bottom and a silver sequent peace sign on the front of it. "I got it- wait...how did you-"

"Turn around, honey." Maya cut off her friend's question.

Riley turned around and saw Maya in her window, waving and smirking at her as she held her cell phone to her ear. She just waved back and smiled sheepishly, giving a little wave of her own as she said, "Hiiiii."

Instead of responding, Maya decided to just end the call, tossing her phone into the front pocket of her large, purple and black satchel, which hung across her body securely. It was technically her book bag for school, but since she was never one to bring books home, it was mostly used as a sleepover bag. Meanwhile, Riley had tossed her phone onto her bed, and unlocked the window, allowing Maya to gain entry to her room.

After closing the window, Riley took a seat on her bench next to Maya who had just discarded her bag on the floor.

"Look," Riley began. "I am so sorry for lying to you like that. Are you mad at me?"

"I'm a lot of things right now, mostly surprised and confused, but mad? No, I'm not mad at you, Riles." Maya replied.

"Really?" Riley queried, glad that she didn't seem to upset her friend too much with her fib.

"Really." Maya confirmed. "I know you, Riley. You wouldn't lie to anyone, especially me, if you didn't have a really good reason."

"You're right, and I do." Riley nodded curtly as she spoke her words seriously.

"So what is it?" Maya wondered aloud.

Riley took a deep breath before launching into what was, no doubt, a touchy subject for Maya: Uncle Josh.

"Josh is here. He made a surprise visit and is staying the night." She explained.

"Oh." Maya said casually, trying to remain indifferent to the situation.

"I should have just told you that from the beginning." Riley responded as she pushed some of her long brown locks back behind her ear.

"So, why didn't you?" Maya asked curiously.

"I don't know. I guess, I thought I was protecting you." Riley tried to explain.

"Protecting me? From what?" Maya probed further.

"Well, it's just..." Riley trailed off, pausing a moment to collect her thoughts. "I know things haven't been easy for you where Josh is concerned. I mean, it's obvious that his constant rejections hurt you more than you'd like to admit. Take the dorm room fiasco, for instance. Afterward, you were majorly depressed."

"Yeah, I was...until the next day when Josh said he would stop looking at me like I was a kid." Maya supplied.

"Still," Riley went on. "It was hard seeing you like that, and I guess, I just thought it would be better for you to be a little disappointed with me than to be all torn up over Josh again."

"Well, I appreciate that you care so much." Maya smiled. "You're a good friend." She added as she put her arm through Riley's to emphasize her words.

Riley just smiled back brightly and said, "Thanks. I learn from the best."

They just smiled at each other a moment, until Riley took a deep breath and spoke up again.

"Look... you're still welcome to spend the night, if you still want to, but if you don't, I completely understand."

Maya gave a curt nod as she responded, "I want to."

"You sure?" Riley inquired, giving her an out if she needed it.

"Yeah... I mean, do I still have feelings for Josh? Of course. Is he still too old for me and therefore rejecting me? Of course... but the thing is, he's your uncle, Riley, and he's gonna be a part of your life, even more so once he starts at NYU, and I don't wanna let his presence get in the way of our friendship. That's why I'm moving on." Maya said assuredly.

Riley just cocked her head to the side and gave her friend a skeptical look.

"Or at least I'm gonna try to." Maya amended. "And the first step in moving on is becoming friends with Josh...or at least being able to be in the same room with him and _not_ act like a total nutball..."

"You _do_ act like a nutball around him." Riley nodded in agreement.

"Well, not anymore." Maya affirmed, causing Riley to shoot her yet another look of skepticism. "I mean it; I'm done wasting my time pining after someone who doesn't like me back."

Riley chuckled softly as she shook her head at her friend, realizing just how blonde she was.

"What? What's so funny?" Maya questioned, confusion evident on her face.

"Your assessment of Josh's feelings, that's what." Riley answered.

"What are you talking about?" Maya tried again, feeling totally lost.

"Haven't you noticed the way Josh looks at you?" Riley inquired, deciding to reveal a few things that she has noticed about Maya and Josh's interactions since the Christmas party last December.

"He doesn't look at me in any way, except like I'm nutball, which we've already established." Maya said, rolling her eyes. While she remained indifferent on the outside, Maya immediately replayed all her exchanges with Josh in her mind, trying to recall any particular look he may have given her. Unfortunately, nothing stuck out, but that was probably due to the fact that she always got distracted by those blue orbs of his. They never failed to entrance her.

"What about the way he always gives you the same exact response to your- should we say... admiration?" Riley went on.

"Trust me when I say that I am _very_ aware of his response." Maya said as she stood and crossed the open space in front of her before plopping down on Riley's bed. "He only says the words _every_ time he sees me." Maya replied, tone dripping with annoyance, then threw herself backward so she was half-lying down on the bed.

Riley just smirked as she crossed her legs and folded her hands on her top knee. She couldn't help but take things a step further. "Then you are also aware that Josh has never actually _said_ that he doesn't like you." She elaborated.

At that, Maya propped herself up on her elbows and arched a brow at her friend. "So?"

" _So_...maybe he hasn't said it because he _can't_ say it, because if he did, it wouldn't be the truth." Riley clarified.

Maya's mouth opened and closed a few times as she considered Riley's words and how to respond to them. Thinking back, she knew that Riley was right about Josh to an extent. He never _did_ say anything about his feelings for her, just the same-old, same-old _"I'm too old for you"_ speech. However, Maya wasn't so sure about the rest of her friend's statement, and she was a little scared of even considering it.

Settling on a reply, Maya extended her arms and pushed herself upward so that she was leaning on her hands and voiced her uncertainty aloud.

"Just because he's never _said_ that he doesn't like me, doesn't mean that he does, Riles."

"Doesn't mean he doesn't." Riley tossed back with a shrug.

Maya kept silent other than letting out a loud breath as she ran a hand through her hair nervously.

Riley sighed before speaking again, "Look, I wasn't trying to make you uncomfortable, just aware of the facts." She said, moving to the bed and sitting beside Maya.

"The facts being that Josh sometimes gives me googly eyes and has feelings for me?" Maya asked dryly, making sure she was comprehending what exactly her friend was saying.

"Yeah." Riley half-smiled. She also wanted to add the fact that she was pretty sure Josh's constant use of the phrase "I'm too old for you" was more of a reminder for himself than for Maya, but due to Maya's current mood, she figured now wasn't the best time to mention it.

"Why?" Maya questioned, tone serious and somewhat annoyed, but not angry.

"Because...I don't want you to give up on Josh... not completely." Riley confessed.

Maya's eyes widened a bit in surprise, but her voice sounded almost amused as she responded, "Excuse me? Since when?"

"I know, I know, I haven't exactly been the biggest supporter of your feelings for Josh. I was just worried about you getting hurt with the age difference and all." Riley went on. "But someday, before you know it, that three years isn't gonna matter anymore, and then..." Riley trailed off.

"And then what?" Maya wondered aloud.

"I think that's up to you and Josh." Riley smiled as she placed a hand on Maya's shoulder.

Maya sat quietly for moment, letting Riley's words sink in. Before she had a chance to respond, there was a light knock on Riley's bedroom door. The girls turned their torsos in unison to find Josh peeking his head through the door.

"Hey, Riles, I- oh, hey, Maya. Didn't know you were here. You staying the night?" He asked, noticing her bag near the end of Riley's bed.

"Yes...I am." Maya nodded confidently. She could do this. She would just treat Josh like a friend, a platonic-unintimidating-yet really attractive friend that she didn't have feelings for whatsoever... like Lucas.

"Cool." Josh answered with a grin. "So, I was thinking of ordering a pizza. You guys hungry?"

"Starving." Riley answered as she rubbed her stomach for emphasis. "Mom and dad left money on the dining room table for us to order in."

"Where are they anyway?" Josh questioned.

"Friday night's date night." Riley explained. "Tonight, they were going to an early dinner then to see _Mamma Mia_ at Palace Theatre. It's dad's favorite musical. It should actually be starting soon." She noted as she checked the time on her cell and noticed it was a quarter after seven. No wonder she was so hungry.

"Ah, I see." Josh nodded.

Just then, Auggie shoved himself between the doorframe and Josh, carrying a brightly colored, square box in his hands.

"Can we play a board game?" He asked, excitedly.

"Sure, little man, just let me order some pizza first." Josh said, ruffling his nephew's hair.

"Yay!" He exclaimed as he did a little jump for joy. "Riley, Maya, you guys have to play too!"

The girls looked at each other and shrugged before Maya replied. "Sure, Augs, why not?"

Auggie did a little happy dance, then ran to the living room to set up the game as his older playmates followed suit.


	2. Let The Games Begin

Fifteen minutes later, the pizza was ordered and the kids were seated around the coffee table in the living room, working on their third round of _Hi Ho! Cherry-O_. Auggie and Riley sat next to each other on the long side of the table, while Maya took the seat at the end of the table by Riley and Josh the opposite end near Auggie.

"Three! Boo-yah!" Josh yelled, tossing the last three cherries into his basket as he won the game for the third time in a row.

"Cheater!" Maya fired back as she smacked her hands against the tabletop, completely annoyed.

"Yeah, cheater!" Auggie repeated, while Riley just shook her head at how ridiculous they were all being over a children's game.

"It's a game of chance. You spin a spinner. How could I possibly cheat?" He retorted, crossing his arms and cocking his head at Maya.

She was trying to ignore the way the motion made his arm muscles bulge in his tight black t-shirt as she answered, "I don't know, maybe you used some kind of magnet... or maybe you just charmed it with your smile." She finished sarcastically with a roll of her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest as she did so, matching his movement.

"You think I have a charming smile?" Josh smirked, unable to resist teasing her.

"I didn't say that." Maya defended herself as her cheeks began to flush. Technically, she didn't, but she did think it and even dreamed about it a time or two...or twelve.

"But you implied it." He asserted, giving her one of his boyish grins.

There were a lot of things that Maya liked about Josh, the list went on forever, but his smile definitely made the top five. It was cute and sweet just like him. However, she would never admit that out loud to his face. It would be too embarrassing and wouldn't exactly help the platonic relationship she was trying to build with him. So, instead, she classily replied, "Eat a cherry, Joshua!" and flung a cherry game piece at his head.

It was a kid-friendly phrase, but definitely meant something not-so-kid-friendly, so Riley decided she better jump in and break it up.

"Okay! I think it's time we play a different game." Riley interjected, clapping her hands together to gain everyone's attention.

"Like what?" Auggie asked.

"How about you pick, Maya." Riley offered, hoping to placate her friend.

"Gladly." She smiled mischievously, knowing exactly what game to pick. Running to Riley's room real quick, Maya came back seconds later, holding _Disney Trivia_. Maya knew it was perfect because not only was it a game Auggie could play with them, but it was a game she was beast at.

They all grew up watching Disney movies, but none of them like Maya. Disney movies were Maya's saving grace. The place she went to get lost when her parents would fight. Every time their arguing got too loud, she would pop a movie in and let it take her away. Her parents fought a lot, so she has watched every Disney movie at least 15 times. They were her happy place.

"Ooh! The Disney game!" Auggie cheered.

"Bring it on!" Josh stated confidently, then helped the rest of them clean up the previous game and set-up the new one.

They spun the dice to see who would go first. The results were Riley, Auggie, Josh, then Maya. Josh attempted to tease her about being last, but she just shrugged it off. The main rule was that if you get the answer right, then you roll again and answer another one, repeating the process until you miss a question or win the game. Therefore, Maya wasn't worried one bit. All she needed was one turn, and she was as good as gold. It didn't matter when the turn was.

Riley missed her first question, Auggie got two right before missing one, and Josh got five, which he, of course, bragged about throughout his turn. Then, finally, Maya got to go. Roll after roll, question after question, she kept on getting them right and moving further along the Mickey Mouse head-shaped trail, much to Josh's dismay. She was on fire, a real force to be reckoned with.

Eventually she made it to the end, just like she knew she would. All she needed now was to get one more question right, and she won the game. Piece of cake.

"Lay it on me, Riles." Maya commanded, ready for her final question.

"Not so fast..." Josh cut in, stealing the card from Riley's hands.

"Hey!" She scolded her uncle.

"I'm asking this one." Josh asserted. "That way you can't use your best friend telepathy to cheat."

"Now who's the sore loser?" Maya questioned.

"I haven't lost yet." He retorted.

"Give it ten seconds." Maya tossed back, assuredly.

Josh just shook his head at the feisty blonde in front of him and proceeded to ask the question.

"Here we go..." Josh began, holding up the small card with a picture of Boo on the front from Monsters Inc. She was in the little monster costume, trying to scare someone, and looking completely adorable. "What is Boo's real name?"

Maya watched Josh smirk like he knew she was going to miss it, like there was no way she could get this question right. So, she decided to have a bit of fun with him.

"Hmmm...that's a toughy." Maya stated as she tapped her chin in thought. "It's been a while since I have seen that one. I don't really remember-MARY! BOO-YAH!" Maya hastily finished with a shout, knocking the smile right off Josh's face.

"You saw the card when I took it from Riley!" He accused.

"Nope." She answered, popping the "p" just to irritate him even more.

"Well, you saw it somehow. How else would you know her name? Josh queried. "They never said it in the film. It's like one of Disney's best kept secrets." Josh affirmed.

"It's on the drawing she gave Sully in the movie." Maya explained.

"Really?" He asked, completely dumbfounded.

"Really." Riley chimed in, informing him that she had known this little fact too.

"Even _I_ knew that, Joshy." Auggie added as he patted his uncle on the shoulder.

"Okay, fine, so maybe you knew that one, but you had to of cheated on one of the other questions. I mean, you had like 20 consecutive turns. Who could really answer that many correctly at a time?

"Me." Maya stated simply. "I'm just that good." She added as she tugged on the front of her faux leather jacket, smugly.

Josh shook his head as he tried to stifle a laugh. He enjoyed feisty Maya very much, how she had a fire in her eyes and always had a response for everything. It was entertaining...and kind of hot. He never met a girl with her kind of stubbornness and determination. _Wait...did I just call Maya hot? Where did that come from?_ As promised, Josh had stopped looking at and treating her as a kid, so he was aware that she was pretty and growing up, but hot? When did he make that leap?

Maya watched Josh's face go from amused to shocked and confused. She wondered what was going through his mind, but before she could ask, the buzzer by the door went off.


	3. Another Surprise Visitor

"Hey, Riley. It's Lucas." Said a sweet voice with a bit of a southern drawl to it.

"Lucas!" Riley squealed with delight then rushed to hit the button to let him in. "Come on up!"

Riley proceeded to smooth out her clothes and then shake her head about to make her hair appear sexier and have more volume, but instead she just looked like cousin It.

"How do I look?" She asked, striking a random pose.

Auggie face-palmed, while Josh just gave two thumbs up, not wanting to hurt his niece's feelings. Maya was the only one to respond verbally as she rubbed her forehead and spoke to no one in particular, saying, "I try... I try so hard, but I just can't undo weird. I just can't."

Just then, Lucas knocked on the door, so Riley ran a hand through her hair to smooth out the kinks, then proceeded to answer it.

"Hi." Riley greeted with a wide, toothy grin."

"Hi." Lucas responded with a sweet smile of his own.

Maya rolled her eyes as she watched them just stand there and smile at each other for a long moment until she decided to speak up.

"So, what brings _you_ here, Huckleberry?" Maya inquired, not really caring about his answer, but just wanting to use one of the many nicknames she had for him.

"This." Lucas said, lifting up a green notebook that he had been holding in his right hand. He looked at Riley as he added, "I finished copying your Science notes, so I thought I'd bring it over and give it back to you. Thanks again for lending me your notebook, Riley."

"No problem." She smiled as she retrieved her notebook from the adorable Texan in front of her.

"You _would_ do homework on a Friday night." Maya teased.

"What's wrong with that?" Lucas asked.

"What's _right_ with that?" Maya retorted, sounding baffled.

"Okay, smarty-pants, what should I be doing on a Friday night?" Lucas queried.

"Something fun." Maya answered.

"Games." Riley cut in. "Games are fun. Why don't you come in and play one with us, Lucas."

"Sure. I love board games." He replied, as he crossed the threshold. Lucas took two steps toward the living room then suddenly paused and looked back to Riley. "Wait...we aren't playing _The Family Game_ are we? Cause I'm not such a fan of that one anymore." He couldn't help but ask as he thought of the last Matthews game night he had crashed.

"No." Riley giggled. "Don't worry."

"We're playing _Disney Trivia_." Auggie chimed in.

"No, we're not." Josh stated, emphatically.

"Aw, what's the matter, Josh? Afraid I'm gonna kick your butt... _again_?"

"No...I'm just bored with this game." Josh covered, knowing his ego really was a bit bruised after that last round. He also just wanted to disagree with Maya. Their bantering was fun. He didn't want it to stop. Honestly, he was just afraid that if they didn't tease each other, they wouldn't talk at all, and Josh just couldn't let that happen because he actually quite enjoyed interacting with regular Maya as opposed to the usual crazy, love struck Maya. Not that she was really in love with him. I mean, she is not exactly a kid anymore, but she is still too young to know what love is, let alone feel it. So was he. Right?

"Yeah, I'm so sure." Maya answered, sarcastically.

"Come on, Uncle Josh! One more time?!" Auggie pleaded, causing Maya to grin.

With one look at his nephew, Josh knew he couldn't say no to those puppy dog eyes.

"All right, one more round, but that's it." Josh relented.

"YES!" Auggie cheered, then proceeded to high-five Josh, followed by a low five, and then a series of random hand gestures that they both did in perfect unison.

Clearly, they had their own secret handshake, which Maya thought was utterly adorable. Her heart melted a smidge as she watched their movements and the smiles on both boys' faces, both so genuine and sweet. The number one thing Maya loved about Josh was how much he loved his family, immediate and extended and even the ones not directly related like Shawn. He cared for them all the same and showed it whenever he could with the simplest gestures like handshakes and surprise sleepovers. He really was the most amazing guy ever. How could she not have feelings for him?

Everyone gathered back around the coffee table, Lucas wedging himself between Riley and Maya, and then all helped to reset the game board. Fifteen minutes or so later, Maya had won again and jumped up to do a little victory dance just to rub it in Josh's face. Fortunately for him, her taunting was cut short by the pizza guy.

Josh placed the pizzas on the dining room table and Maya began to open them while Riley and Lucas got plates and napkins from the cupboard and Auggie made a bee-line for the bathroom. Maya's eyes went wide as she saw what Josh ordered: one large pepperoni and one medium, half-pineapple and half-jalapeño pepper.

"What's this?" She questioned, gesturing to the medium-sized pizza.

"That's ours." Josh stated simply.

"Ours?" Maya repeated.

"Yeah, I know Riley and Auggie prefer pepperoni, but you like pineapple-god knows why-and I love spicy toppings, so I figured we could just split one together. That okay?" Josh inquired.

"Oh, yeah, of course...thanks." Maya finished sheepishly. She was trying to play it cool, but it was a hard task when she was internally awing at his sweetness. How did he remember that her favorite pizza topping was pineapple? Better yet, _why_ did he remember? Maya dismissed the thoughts, figuring he just remembered because it was weird...but what if there was more to it than that? With a grumble of her stomach, Maya let the thought drop. She was too hungry to think logically.

"Mmmm..." Maya moaned in appreciation as she picked up a large slice and bit off the tip.

"Here's a plate." Riley said, handing over the item in question.

"Thanks." She replied with a mouthful of pizza.

"Lucas," Josh began. "I don't know what kind of pizza you like but you are welcome to whatever's here." he finished, gesturing to both pies. "Even my beloved jalapeno-topped goodness."

"Thanks." Lucas responded with a slight chuckle. "But I am more of a pepperoni guy." He explained then began to fill his plate.

"Really?" Josh inquired, surprise evident in his voice. "I would have thought a Texan like you would go for the spicy one."

"Eh," Lucas shrugged. "Spicy is okay, but I much prefer sweet." He clarified, eyes locking with Riley's as he gave her a knowing smile, which she gladly returned.

"I can respect that," Josh nodded. "But I'm finding that I like spicy better. It keeps you on your toes and makes everyday a little more fun." Josh added, quickly glancing at Maya with a small smirk on his lips. She was nibbling at her crust, completely unaware of Josh's double meaning, but he figured that was probably for the best.

Before anything more could be said, Auggie came running into the dining area, water dripping from his damp hands that he failed to dry completely in his haste to eat.

"I'm ready." The little boy stated. "'Za' me!"

They all just smiled and shook their heads as Auggie sat down at the table. Riley made him a plate, and they all ate the rest of their meal in peace.


	4. Truth Or Dare

After stuffing himself full of pizza, Auggie had a bit of a tummy ache, and so Josh helped him get ready for bed so he could lie down and rest. It was around eight o'clock when Josh returned to the living room, running a hand through his dark brown hair. Maya watched him come closer, wanting nothing more than to let her own fingers roam free through Josh's chocolate locks. She bet it was soft. It looked soft… and shiny and perfectly messy, yet another one of her favorite features on Josh. Suddenly, her eyes locked with Josh's and a light smile played on his lips from catching her staring. Maya just rolled her eyes to indicate that he was making something out of nothing.

"You look fine, Casanova." Maya told him. "Now get over here so we can play another game."

He just shook his head and took a seat in the free spot on the opposite end of the couch next to Lucas. Maya was teasing him a lot, but she couldn't help it. It was amusing to watch his reactions, plus it helped to keep things friendly. Tonight Josh was not an object of her affection but rather her competition, and you can't be in love with the enemy. I mean, it _is_ called "friendly" competition for a reason, right? " _Yes, exactly."_ Maya assured herself. Impromptu game night was a good idea. As long as she saw and treated Josh as the enemy, then she would be able to keep her feelings at bay and everything would be just fine.

"Let's play _Heads Up_!" Riley suggested as she lifted her cell phone with her right hand for emphasis. "We can play teams-I call Lucas!" She hurried to add the last bit as she scooted closer to Lucas and threaded her arm through his.

A broad smile stretched across Lucas's face, matching the one on Riley's, as he simply replied, "Works for me."

"Looks like that leaves you and me, blondie." Josh winked.

 _"Crap."_ Maya thought. _"So much for Josh being the enemy."_

"Okay," Riley started. "So we can just take turns, getting our teammate to guess as many correct answers as possible. After we all get a chance to guess, we can just add up our points and see who wins. Sound good?" She finished, awaiting confirmation from the group. They all nodded in response and began to play.

They played six different categories: Accents and Impressions, Animals, Music, Movies, TV Shows, and Celebrities. Riley and Lucas managed to win the first two categories, while Josh and Maya dominated the rest. They would have won the animal category too, but Josh took too long to get the word ferret, not understanding her clues until Maya jumped on his back.

Maya had been worried about partnering up with Josh, but it turned out to be a lot of fun. They could read each other's minds pretty well, almost _too_ well. Maya didn't want to dwell on that fact though, so to avoid overanalyzing it, she simply said, "Nice job partner. Seems we make a pretty good team."

"Seems we do." Josh answered with a tentative smile. He had played _Heads Up_ a number of times with his friends from home, sometimes as a big group, sometimes in teams. However, when they did play teams, he never scored anywhere close to what he had scored with Maya. It's like they had some sort of special connection. It was weird, but Josh liked it, probably more than he should. Something about being on a team with Maya just felt...right.

They just sat there, staring at each other for a moment, taking in the other's intense gaze. It was a silent question they were asking.

How deep did their connection run?

Neither had an answer.

Josh had dated here and there, his most serious girlfriend being a five-month affair, but he never felt connected to her or any of the others like he did with Maya. He wasn't sure what to make of it. Did that mean that they were destined to be great friends...or possibly more?

Meanwhile, Maya had never had a boyfriend before or anything close to it. Therefore, she had nothing to compare her connection with Josh to, and yet... she really believed that it was real, that it meant something. Maya didn't know what it was, but something deep down told her that Josh was special and that the feelings she has for him are too. He wasn't just a friend...or a crush...but what he was, well, that totally escaped Maya. If only she knew what he was thinking. I mean, he had to feel the connection too, right?

"Josh?" She questioned, always willing to make a bold move.

"Yeah?" He answered, voice sounding a bit husky.

Just then, Riley and Lucas came back to the living room. Lucas had been using the bathroom, while Riley had been checking on Auggie.

"Well, little bro is sound asleep." Riley stated. "So, our next game should probably be something quieter." She finished as she sat back down on the couch.

"Like what?" Lucas questioned, taking a seat next to Riley.

"Hmmm..." Riley thought for a moment. "How about _Truth or Dare_?"

All of a sudden, a cheeky smile formed on Maya's lips. She wanted answers from Josh, and Riley wanted a quiet game. Truth or Dare sounded perfect. Quickly, she hid her smile and played it cool.

"That works." She replied, sounding indifferent to the situation.

"I don't know..." Josh trailed off. That game never ended well when he played it with his friends back in Philly.

"Oh, come on, Josh." Maya couldn't help but tease. "You're not afraid of little game are you?"

"Of course not." Josh affirmed. "Let's do it." He finished, eyeing up Maya and rising to her challenge. Why did he always feel like he needed to prove himself when it came to her? Better question: how was she always able to get under his skin so easily? Josh didn't know, all he knew for sure was that he had to play this game with them, so he relented. Besides, he was seventeen, playing with a bunch of fourteen year-olds, what was the worst that could happen?

"Okay, me first!" Riley clapped happily. "Lucas, truth or dare?" She smiled.

"Hmmm..." Lucas thought for a moment. "Truth." He decided with a curt nod.

"How many girlfriends have you had?" Riley asked calmly, but on the inside, she was a nervous wreck. She was always curious about Lucas' past; there was still so much she didn't know, but ex-girlfriends was one of the topics that worried her most. Did Lucas have a lot experience with girls? If so, what did that mean for Riley? She had no experience herself with dating, making her encounters with Lucas that much more awkward. Riley was just figuring things out as she goes. What if Lucas wanted someone more practiced and, well, normal?

Riley cleared her mind and bit her lip as she waited for Lucas to respond.

"I've had three girlfriends: Daisy, Celia, and Vanessa." Lucas replied. "My relationships with Daisy and Celia didn't last more than a couple of days, but Vanessa and I dated for three months before I had to move to New York."

Riley gulped. Three whole months? She couldn't even keep a pet goldfish alive that long. Vanessa must have been someone _really_ special to him. How was she supposed to compete with that? Riley suddenly felt deflated and annoyed.

"The number three would have sufficed." She grumbled.

"What?" Lucas questioned, unsure of what she just said.

"Uh..." Riley hesitated. "I said that's very nice." She covered, giving him a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes like it usually did.

"Yeah," Lucas nodded. "They were all pretty cool girls, but..."

"But what?" Riley inquired, a little hopeful.

"As cool as Texas girls may be, they've got nothing on New York girls...well, at least one New York girl." He explained, finishing his statement with a wide grin and a wink, aimed directly at Riley.

With that last comment, all of Riley worries disappeared and she beamed back at him, her smile definitely reaching her eyes this time.

"Lame!" Maya coughed, making fun of her friend.

Josh smirked and joined in the teasing, coughing into his fist, "Whipped!"

Maya burst out laughing, then high-fived Josh. She suddenly felt a jolt of electricity zap through her hand and up her arm, then quickly pulled her hand away. She immediately missed the warmth of his palm and noticed her arm was prickled with goose-bumps. Sparing another glance at Josh, she saw that he also appeared to have goose-bumps. That, accompanied by the serious look in his eye as he stared at her, gave Maya the impression that she was not the only one who felt something.

Maya broke eye contact and looked back at Riley and Lucas before asking, "So, who's next?"

"Riley," Lucas smiled again as he turned to face her. "Truth or dare?"

"Truth." Riley answered. "No, dare...no, truth..."

"For the love!" Maya yelled playfully. "Just pick one already, would ya?"

"All right, all right...dare." Riley chose, feeling a bit risky after her Lucas filled pick-me-up, then stuck out her tongue at Maya who just smiled and shook her head. "Do your worst." She added, looking to Lucas.

Lucas tapped his chin as he thought, then a small smirk appeared on his face. He suddenly stood up from the couch and made his way over to the kitchen where he began riffling through the cupboards.

"Um...Lucas?" Riley inquired with a quizzical look on her face.

"Watcha doing there, Hop-a-long?" Maya queried, wearing a similar expression to Riley's.

"Ah-ha! Found em'!" Lucas called out to himself, ignoring the girls as he walked back over to the living room area with a bag of standard-sized marshmallows and tossed them onto the small coffee table.

"This ought to be good." Josh said to no one in particular as he crossed his arms and waited for an explanation.

"Riley..." Lucas paused for dramatic effect, giving her one of his adorable grins. "I dare you to shove as many marshmallows as you can into your mouth then sing the chorus to your current favorite song."

Riley just quirked a brow at him, while Josh and Maya both stifled a chuckle.

"Where on earth did that dare come from?" Riley questioned.

"Zay." Lucas shrugged.

"Ah." Riley and Maya voiced simultaneously, signaling their understanding. Suddenly, the dare wasn't so weird anymore.

After struggling with the bag for minute, Riley finally got it open and proceeded to shove the marshmallows into her mouth one by one. She got fifteen to fit before stopping and singing, as loud as she could muster, the lyrics to "Love Myself" by Hailee Steinfeld.

Everyone clapped to the muffled beat, as they laughed at Riley's expense, not that she minded. She knew she looked and sounded ridiculous, so she just embraced it as she spun in circles and interpretively danced to her newest musical obsession.

Finally, she ended her impromptu routine and struck a somewhat awkward, yet very Riley-esque, pose with her hands sticking up in the air and her hip jutting out to the side. Her friends just smiled and applauded for the lovely and extremely humorous show they just bore witness to.

As Riley scurried over to the kitchen to spit out all the white, sugary goodness that had been in her mouth, Josh took control of the situation and glanced at Maya.

"Okay, Miss Hart," he smirked. "Truth or dare?"


	5. A Long Way To Waterloo

"Dare." Maya answered easily, not wanting to let Riley out-do her. Plus, she was never afraid of a challenge. Ever.

"I dare you to make a prank call." Josh told her, retrieving his cell phone from his pocket and holding it out to her.

"Fine." She responded confidently with a slight shrug of her shoulders then reached for his cell.

Josh pulled his phone back over his shoulder and out of Maya's reach as he added, "And when the caller answers you have to use a cheesy pick-up line on them.

"O-okay." Maya replied, a little less confident than she was a moment ago. She wasn't that good at the whole flirting thing, but then again, the whole point of this dare was to flirt badly so...

Maya held her hand out for the phone, just as Riley sat down on the couch.

"So, what is the dare?" Riley asked, hearing only part of the conversation from the kitchen.

"You'll see." Lucas answered, nodding his head toward Maya and Josh who sat on the other end of the couch nearest the dining area.

Josh quickly dialed a number, clicked on speaker phone, and handed his phone over to the blonde on his left. Maya listened to the ringer sound through the phone. It rang, and rang, and rang, and rang...until finally, the line clicked and the sound of a male voice flowed through.

"Hello?" He greeted, nonchalantly.

"Hello." Maya answered, then waited a moment.

"Who is this?" The voice queried. Then, all of a sudden, a realization hit Maya. This wasn't some random voice. She had heard it before...in a dorm room in NYU. It was Josh's friend, Andrew. She was sure of it; Maya had a knack for remembering faces and voices. She just had no idea why Josh had called him and not someone random. Maya flicked her eyes to look at her friends. Riley clearly didn't recognize the voice and Josh and Lucas just sat there indifferently, waiting to see what was going to happen next, so she shrugged it off and decided to have a little fun with Andrew.

"Don't you recognize my voice?" Maya asked innocently.

"Um... no." Andrew admitted. "Have we met before?"

Maya smiled like The Cheshire Cat as he fell right into her trap, then retorted, "Just in your dreams."

The gang snickered quietly at Maya's cheesy pick-up line as they waited for a response from the guy on the other end of the line.

"Oh, so you're my dream girl?" Andrew flirted back.

"It would seem so." Maya purred.

"Tell me something, dream girl." He started. "What are you wearing?"

Maya gave herself a quick once-over, taking in her blue jacket, black abstract-patterned shirt, ripped jeans, and ankle boots. She wasn't so sure how to answer his question, until her boots caught her eye. She cracked a small smile, crossed one leg securely over the other, and responded, "Leather. Black leather." It wasn't technically a lie, just an embellishment of the truth. One that would no doubt get a rise out of Andrew.

Riley and Lucas' eyes widened in shock as they pressed their lips together tightly to keep from laughing. Maya didn't notice though; she was too busy trying to decipher the look on Josh's face. If she didn't know any better, she would say he looked angry. Though she couldn't fathom why he would be.

"You ARE my dream girl." He tossed back after a brief pause. "Please tell me that you have long, black hair."

"It's blonde actually." Maya informed him.

"Oh." Andrew said simply. "Well, do you at least like to sing or play the guitar? Because my dream girl is a musical gem with the voice of an angel."

"I'm more of the artsy type." Maya replied. "I like to draw and paint and stuff like that."

"Does that mean you're a tortured soul who's covered in tattoos?" He joked.

"Hardly." She retorted dryly.

"No, wait. I bet you just have one that no one knows about, safely hidden where no one can see." He tried again.

"Nope." Maya said with a slight hesitation. She liked to draw temporary tats in sharpie on random spots on her body. Always somewhere hidden from public view. Right now, she had the silhouette of two small birds in flight near her hip bone, representing her and her mom making their way in the world. That's what she would do-what she would want- in real life, if she ever did get a tattoo...something small, meaningful, and hidden.

"Liar." Andrew called her bluff. "I so nailed it."

"Bite me." She tossed back.

"Oh, feisty." He laughed.

"Whatever." She shrugged him off.

"Okay, wait." Andrew continued. "Let me see if I got this right...you are a sweet, leather-wearing, blonde artist with a fiery attitude."

"Sounds about right." Maya relented.

"Huh." He uttered, clearly amused by something.

"What?" She wondered aloud.

"Well, sadly, you aren't my dream girl, but you fit the bill for a friend a mine." He explained.

"Oh, really?" Maya inquired.

"Yeah, he actually just described his type to me the other day and you fit it exactly." He went on. "It's almost kind of creepy."

"Now you're the liar." She retorted.

"No, really." Andrew tried to convince her. "You can even look up my friend online if you don't believe me. His name's J-" Andrew was suddenly cut off by Josh ripping the phone from Maya's hand and hitting the end button.

"Okay, dare over." He told Maya, as he avoided her eyes. He had purposely dialed Andrew's number (after blocking his own) as a safe guard for Maya. That way, if she said something stupid or that she regretted, she wouldn't end up being too embarrassed. Plus, Josh knew Andrew wouldn't hold it against her, he would just think it was funny and play along. However, what he didn't count on was Andrew flirting back. Josh was _so_ going to kick his ass next time they hung out for that _"what are you wearing?"_ comment. He was also a bit annoyed that his friend would so easily spill the beans on a private conversation they had to some seemingly random girl.

As surprised as Josh was at Andrew's remarks, what really got him was Maya's. Where the hell did that leather comment come from? It, no doubt, put inappropriate ideas inside of Andrew's head. Josh knew because those ideas were swimming around his head now too. He quickly shook the thoughts away as best he could and tried to look guilty.

Maya just gave him a look. Why was he acting so weird? One minute he was glaring at her, the next he was avoiding eye contact, then suddenly he was blushing and looking at her like a boy who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. " _Is it possible? Could Josh be jealous?"_ Maya thought to herself. " _Or was he just embarrassed...what if it was his name that Andrew was about to say?"_ Now Maya _really_ wanted Josh to take his turn in this revealing game of Truth or Dare.

"All right-y then." Maya began, ignoring Josh's weird reaction from a moment ago. "Time for the asker to become the ask-ee...truth or dare, Josh?" Maya asked calmly, folding her hands on top of her knee.

"Truth." Josh answered, a little afraid of what Maya might make him do if he picked dare.

Maya swallowed, wiping her sweaty palms on her jean-clad thighs. This was it. The moment of truth.

"Do you have feelings for me?" Maya asked, then held her breath as she waited for a response. The room was eerily quiet as all eyes fell on Josh who sat there like a statue, moving only his lips, opening and closing his mouth periodically as he searched for the right words.

Josh settled on his go to phrase and replied, "I'm too old for you, Maya."

"That's not what I asked, Josh." Maya tossed back, slightly irritated. "Do you have feelings for me?" She restated her question, this time a bit slower.

"This game is lame. Let's play something else." Josh deflected.

"Dang it, Josh! Answer the question!" Maya all but yelled her command as she flung herself off the couch in outrage and into a standing position where she proceeded to ball her fists tightly at her sides and give Josh a death glare.

"Uh...a little help here guys?" Josh begged, throwing a helpless look toward Riley and Lucas as he tugged at the collar of his shirt nervously.

"Gee, would you look at the time?" Lucas drawled, glancing at an invisible watch on his wrist. "I should probably head home now."

"I'll walk you out." Riley replied quickly, eager to get away from the tense situation.

Simultaneously, Riley and Lucas stood and exited through the front door as fast as they could. It was now just Maya and Josh alone in the living room. The tension in the air was palpable.

"Now, would you answer me already?" Maya asked, crossing her arms in frustration.

"It's... not that simple." Josh tried to explain as he stood and ran a hand through his dark brown locks, clearly uncomfortable with the topic at hand.

"It's a yes or no question." She argued, attempting to disprove his statement. "You can't get much simpler than that."

"You know what I mean." Josh tried again. "The age difference-"

"Yeah, yeah, you're older than me, I get it." Maya rolled her eyes before continuing. "But what if you weren't... what if we were the same age? How would you feel about me then?"

Josh just stared at her a moment, gazing into her sapphire blue eyes that were full of hope and wonder. He decided right then that he needed to answer her question open and honestly. He decided right then to let himself feel...for once.

"Would you-" Maya began to ask her question for a third time, but Josh cut her off.

"Yes," He smiled shyly, grabbing her smooth, warm hand, savoring how perfect it felt and fit into his own. "I would like you...I _do_ like you... _a lot_." He clarified, tucking a blonde curl behind her ear with his other hand and letting it linger a moment on her cheek. Maya grinned back, thoroughly enjoying yet trying to ignore the tingling sensation left by his touch.

"But..." Josh began to add, reluctantly pulling back from Maya. "I can't act on it, no matter how much I want to...because the reality is I _am_ too old for you, Maya." He finished, giving her hand a squeeze before letting it go.

"I know, you're right." Maya sighed, taking a seat back on the couch, feeling completely deflated. Whoever said that the truth hurts wasn't kidding.

"But..." Josh said again, joining her on the couch. "Who knows? Maybe in a few years, after you graduate high school, our timing will be better and things will be different... and we can actually give _us_ a shot."

A small smile formed on Maya's lips as she stared at the amazingly sweet, wonderful, and beautiful boy sitting next to her.

"Thank you." She said quietly.

Josh quirked a brow in confusion. "For giving you an answer?"

"For giving me hope." Maya corrected and Josh just smiled in response. They sat smiling at each other for a long moment before Maya finally spoke. "You're a good guy, Joshua Matthews."

Before she could chicken out, Maya used the rest of her courage to plant a soft kiss on Josh's cheek. After she pulled back, she noticed Josh was smirking as his cheeks turned a bright shade of pink. Her own smile just grew bigger, seeing the effect she had on him.

Suddenly, it was like they were caught in a trance. Their heads began gravitating toward each other for another kiss. A real kiss...on the lips.

"Everything okay in here?" Riley called out, poking her head through the front door. Josh and Maya pulled back quickly and feigned innocence.

"Yep. All good." Maya assured, stifling a giggle as she watched Josh blush again, then brushed some hair behind her ears.

"What she said." Josh stated awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his neck. So much for not acting on his feelings. It was a good thing Riley came back when she did...or was it?

"Well, I'm glad." Riley beamed, coming all the way inside and closing the door behind her. "So, who's up for a movie?" She asked.

"I'm in." Josh said, eager for a change of subject.

"Me too, but we should probably change first." Maya agreed.

"Yay!" Riley happy-clapped. She had been dying to watch the latest supernatural rom-com.

Maya got up and followed Riley back to her room, but not before tossing a smile over her shoulder at Josh who just shook his head, not even bothering to hide his boyish grin. Yes, he definitely had feelings for this girl.

"Waterloo - Couldn't escape if I wanted to, Waterloo - Knowing my fate is to be with you!" Cory sang as he and Topanga made their way down the hall to their apartment. Topanga just smiled and shook her head as she dug the key from her purse and unlocked the door. "Waterloo- _ugh_!" Cory finished with a groan as Topanga whacked him in the stomach and told him to be quiet. He nodded and they took in the adorable sight in front of them.

The three teenagers were sprawled out on the couch sound asleep with their feet propped up on the coffee table. Josh was in the middle with both his arms extended over the top of the couch and somewhat around the girls. Riley was on his right, on the side closest to the kitchen, tucked into the corner of the couch as she used the arm of the couch as her pillow. Maya was on his other side, turned in a bit towards Josh, using his shoulder as a pillow. Josh seemed to be reciprocating her position, being slightly turned into her as well as he rested his cheek atop her head.

"Aw," Topanga cooed. "Look at them."

Cory smiled as he stared down at his little brother snuggling the blonde.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Topanga inquired, noticing the pleased look on his face.

"I was just thinking about the day we left for New York." Cory said. "I told Josh that someday he'd meet his "Topanga."

"I remember." Topanga said, threading her arm through her husband's.

"Well, I am just now realizing that that day has already come." Cory explained.

"You think?" She asked seriously.

"I do. I know true love when I see it." He assured his wife as he brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it.

"Well, they still have a few hurdles in front of them." Topanga noted. "The biggest being age and time."

"Yeah, but they'll get through it...and, one day, they'll finally face their Waterloo." Cory winked, referencing the song he had just been singing, his favorite from the musical.

"The history book on the shelf _is_ always repeating itself." Topanga quoted back to him, referencing the same song. "Maybe it's time for another Matthews boy to play the long game." She added with a smirk. "I just hope he wins."

"Oh, he will." Cory guaranteed. "Us Matthews boys always do."

The couple shared a smile and then a quick kiss before parting ways. Topanga headed to check on her youngest child, while Cory locked the door and turned off the TV. He gave the kids on the couch one last adoring look, then sauntered back to his bedroom, singing softly the whole time, _"Waterloo - Couldn't escape if I wanted to, Waterloo - Knowing my fate is to be with you, Waterloo - Finally facing my Waterloo."_


End file.
